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Area Development - Site Selection, Facility Planning and Workforce Development

Flex-N-Gate Plans Auto Part Manufacturing Plant In Detroit, Michigan

04/25/2017
Flex-N-Gate broke ground on the global auto supplier’s new $95 million manufacturing facility on the east side of Detroit, Michigan.

According to city officials, it will be the largest investment by an auto supplier in the City of Detroit in over 20 years. The 350,000 square foot facility, which is expected to open about a year from now, will become a new centerpiece to the city’s growing I-94 Industrial Park.

Flex-N-Gate is a top global auto supplier of exterior trim components, aluminum and steel modular stamped body in white and chassis assemblies, lighting and other OEM automotive products.

The assembly plant will supply parts to Ford Motor Company and will create at least 400 and up to 700 new jobs in Detroit over the next three years; at full capacity, up to 750 total jobs could be added.

“This new facility is an example of how Detroit has become much more attractive to large manufacturers like Flex-N-Gate,” said Mayor Mike Duggan. “Shad Khan has made a strong commitment to hiring Detroiters and use Detroit-based contractors and is committed to using this project and this new facility to provide employment opportunities to as many Detroiters as possible. They have been a great community partner.”

“I have always believed that the embodiment of the American Dream is in manufacturing, and nowhere is that dream becoming more real and attainable for workers and families today than in the U.S. auto industry,” Flex-N-Gate owner Shad Khan said. “Detroit is the birthplace of U.S. automakers, and today Detroit is experiencing a manufacturing rebirth not only throughout the region, but specifically within the city limits. Our new facility at the I-94 Industrial Park will enable Flex-N-Gate to serve our customers better than ever, but the headline for me is one word – jobs.”

“In fact, these are excellent jobs that will build promising careers, with a hiring emphasis on men and women who live in the City of Detroit. We’re also committed to making sure Detroit city-based and minority-owned companies like Tooles Contracting Group are strongly represented during every phase of the build. Today’s groundbreaking is a day for celebration but the best days and years for Flex-N-Gate and the City of Detroit are still to come.”

To support the project, the Detroit City Council recently approved a $5.9M property tax abatement. In addition to the facility’s construction, Georgia Street, along the planned facility’s south side, will be resurfaced as part of a separate $2.6 million grant from the US Department of Commerce and the Economic Development Administration.

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